U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,551, issued Feb. 27, 1990 and assigned to the assignee of this invention, describes an axial engagement type anti-theft steering shaft lock for an automotive steering column including a stationary first clutch element on the steering column and a second clutch element on the steering shaft rotatable with the latter and shiftable in the direction of the centerline of the shaft into and out of engagement with the first clutch element. The second clutch element is shifted back and forth by a fork on the steering column engaging a circumferential groove on the second clutch element. An anti-theft steering shaft lock according to this invention is a compact alternative to the anti-theft steering shaft lock described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,551.